Tear down this wall: Protesters topple a barrier as Cairo braces for large demonstrations

Anti-government protesters try to tear down a cement wall built to prevent them from reaching parliament and the Cabinet building near Tahrir Square in Cairo on Jan. 24.

Egyptian protesters worked Thursday to tear down a cement wall built to prevent them from reaching parliament and the Cabinet building near Tahrir Square, in Cairo. Ultimately, they toppled the wall. The protests come on the eve of the second anniversary of Egypt’s Jan. 25 uprising, which toppled longtime authoritarian president Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Hussein Tallal / AP

Egyptian protesters try to tear down a cement wall near Tahrir Square.

Hussein Tallal / AP

Hussein Tallal / AP

Egyptian protesters react as the wall falls.

Mohamed Abd El Ghany / Reuters

Protesters flee from tear gas fired by riot police during clashes after protesters removed a concrete barrier near Tahrir Square in Cairo on Jan. 24.

Thousands of anti-government protesters gathered in Tahrir Square to mark the 2011 uprising that led to Egypt's change in power. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.